Toyota(US:TM) 凤凰网财经·2025-08-18 05:30Core Viewpoint - Toyota's projected net profit for the fiscal year 2025 is expected to plummet by 44% to 2.66 trillion yen, indicating a severe decline in financial performance and strategic missteps [1][41]. Group 1: Financial Performance and Challenges - Toyota's operating profit is anticipated to decrease by 1.4 trillion yen due to U.S. government auto tariffs, with an additional 725 billion yen loss attributed to yen appreciation [4][6]. - The company's financial results reveal a stark contrast in performance across regions, with North America showing a revenue increase of 6.2% but suffering a direct loss of 211 billion yen, a 124.8% decline year-on-year [17][33]. - The overall financial outlook for Toyota is grim, with significant profit declines across various markets, including a 26.8% drop in Japan and a 22.2% decrease in Europe [17][41]. Group 2: Strategic Misalignment and Market Position - Toyota's delayed response to the shift towards electric vehicles (EVs) has left it vulnerable, as competitors like Tesla rapidly advance in the EV market while Toyota remains focused on hybrid technology [18][25]. - The company's reliance on traditional manufacturing practices and a conservative approach to innovation have hindered its ability to adapt to the evolving automotive landscape [21][37]. - Despite the challenges, Toyota's leadership continues to downplay the impact of strategic misjudgments, attributing losses primarily to external factors such as tariffs and currency fluctuations [38][41]. Group 3: Production and Supply Chain Issues - Toyota's North American production strategy has been slow to localize, with a significant portion of its supply chain still dependent on imports from Japan and other countries, exacerbating the impact of U.S. tariffs [14][16]. - The company's cost-cutting measures have led to a decline in product quality and increased recalls, raising concerns about the long-term sustainability of its manufacturing practices [30][34]. - Recent recalls affecting over a million vehicles highlight systemic risks associated with Toyota's strategy of component standardization and cost reduction [31][32]. Group 4: Leadership and Future Outlook - Shareholder dissatisfaction is growing, with concerns about the leadership's ability to navigate the transition to electric vehicles and the company's overall strategic direction [36][41]. - The historical context of Toyota's challenges, including past crises and the current competitive landscape, suggests that failure to innovate could lead to a significant decline in market position [11][42]. - The ongoing struggle to balance traditional manufacturing strengths with the need for rapid innovation in the EV sector poses a critical challenge for Toyota's future viability [18][41].